The Center for Research on social InequalitieS is hiring 2 PhD candidates, for the WIDOW Project (ERC) managed by Zachary Van Winkle (Associate Professor at Sciences Po). Start date: September 1, 2025.

The WIDOW Project

Despite its growing relevance, widowhood research remains underdeveloped compared to other disruptive events, such as divorce. This ground-breaking research moves beyond the state-of-the-art in at least four ways to establish a social demography of widowhood.
(1) The foundation of this project lies in an innovative conceptual and methodological approach to the risk and vulnerability to widowhood. While risk aims at the probability and duration of widowhood, vulnerability focuses on its mental health and economic consequences. Current assessments of widowhood effects are limited to change in wellbeing directly after bereavement with a special focus on unexpected deaths. However, the most prevalent scenario entails a process of terminal health decline in the years before death. The consequences of the often neglected longer process of expected widowhood may be larger than the shorter process of unexpected widowhood.
Three ground-breaking pillars build on risk and vulnerability to examine:
(2) social inequalities by socioeconomic status, race-ethnicity and nativity, social support networks, gender and age, as well as (3) country differences and (4) change over time.

High-quality cross-sectional and longitudinal data sources will be harmonized and applied to an advanced set of statistical methods for up to 60 ageing countries varying in demographic trends and welfare systems from 1985 with projections to 2050. A social demography of widowhood will supplement fragmented evidence with systematic and comprehensive estimates on risk and vulnerability, provide insights into the challenges facing a growing widowed population and their family members, and facilitate new research on sustainable pension and elder care systems.

Responsabilities

- Completion of a PhD in Sociology by developing an independent research project within the remit of the WIDOW project on (A) the risk of widowhood or (B) the vulnerability to widowhood
- Quantitative data preparation and analysis
- Drafting, submission, and revision of own and collaborative English language academic articles
- Presentation and dissemination of own and collaborative project results at academic conferences
- Assistance with the fulfillment of reporting requirements

We offer

-  PhD supervision by Zachary Van Winkle, Principal Investigator. Candidates will have the option to have a member of the international WIDOW project’s expert committee as a second supervisor
- Enrollment in Sciences Po’s School of Research PhD program, including access to language classes and other topical and methodological seminars as well as an extensive international institutional network
- An internationally competitive salary
- Funding for multiple international conferences and trainings each year
- Well remunerated and flexible teaching possibilities (optional)
- Work space at the Saint-Thomas campus in central Paris and options for remote work
- Possible funding for a fourth year

Requirements

- Master’s degree in sociology, demography, economics, gerontology or a related field
- A background or strong interest in family sociology and/or demography as well as quantitative methods
- Previous experience with cross-sectional and/or longitudinal data preparation and analysis in Stata, R or a similar program
- An ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Excellent English language skills

Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Please downolad here the application procedure and complete description of the call (pdf, 128 Ko)